With the 2018 season draw announced on Thursday morning, take a look at some of the features of the schedule for the nib Newcastle Knights.
Rivalry resumes in Round 1
It’s an exciting way to start a new season, as the Knights take on old rivals the Manly Sea Eagles at McDonald Jones Stadium in Round 1.
Scheduled for 6pm on a Friday evening, Members and fans will be treated to their first look at a red and blue side with plenty of fresh recruits.
With this set to be just the second time Manly have played in Newcastle in the last six years, it’s a must-watch fixture for 2018.
Get your 2017 Membership HERE to make sure you don’t miss out.
Six away trips in first eight games
The Club arguably has one of the more difficult starts to the season, with the three games after Round 1 all away trips.
The team then returns to McDonald Jones Stadium for just one match against the Brisbane Broncos, before jetting off to Melbourne and then playing the Wests Tigers in Tamworth and Sea Eagles in Sydney.
It’s a tough opening to the season for a team that will still be looking to build new combinations, but the challenge provides an opportunity for growth.
For Knights fans living in Sydney it also presents a good opportunity to watch the team early on.
The Sydney Membership is new to 2018, and provides three tickets to any Knights away games in Sydney.
Knights head to Tamworth
With the Wests Tigers taking one of their home matches to Tamworth in Round 7, Knights fans living in northern New South Wales will have a great opportunity to watch the team at Scully Park.
This will be the first time that Tamworth has hosted a premiership match since the NRL’s inception and will almost be a home match away from home for the red and blues, who enjoy strong support in northern New South Wales.
Block of five at home
After a tough start, the Knights will get to enjoy a run of five home games in a row, with the last two separated by a bye.
The Sydney Roosters, Melbourne Storm, Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, Parramatta Eels and Gold Coast Titans all come to town over the months of June and July.
This segment of the schedule will also see the Club play three Saturday afternoon matches and one game on Sunday, providing plenty of opportunities for young families to come to the footy.
Travel time
The team is set to travel 11,382 kilometres in 2018.
While that sounds like a lot, the NRL average is 17,106.
The Knights’ advantage in this area comes from plenty of away matches in Sydney, and just two trips to Queensland.
But while the Knights won’t be spending so much time north of the border, the team will be hosting a meet-and-greet with Queensland Members.
Become a Queensland Member to enjoy all the benefits.
